Dom Duarte Nuno (Duarte Nuno Fernando Maria Miguel Gabriel Rafael Francisco Xavier Raimundo António de Bragança) was born in September 23, 1907 and died in December 24, 1976. He was a claimant to the Throne of Portugal from 1920 until his death.

He was born at Schloss Seebenstein in Austria, as the son of Miguel II, Duke of Braganza and of his second wife, Princess Marie Therese of Löwenstein-Wertheim-Rosenberg. Duarte Nuno had two older half-brothers and eight sisters.

On October 15, 1942, in the Cathedral of Petropolis in Brazil, Duarte Nuno married Princess Maria Francisca of Orleans-Braganza (September 8 1914; January 15, 1968).

The marriage was particularly popular since Maria Francisca was the great-granddaughter of Emperor Pedro II of Brazil, the younger brother of Queen Maria II of Portugal. The marriage thus united the two rival lines of the Portuguese royal family. Maria Francisca and her family were also viewed as representatives of a liberal monarchy as opposed to the traditional conservatism of Duarte Nuno’s family.

On the left, TRH The Duke and Duchess of Braganza, on the right, Monseigneur Le Comte and Madame la Comtess de Paris. HRH The Duchess of Braganza, born HIRH Princess D. Maria Francisca of Orleans-Braganza, who was the sister of Madame, married the Head of the Portuguese Royal House in Petrópolis, Brazil, in 1942, and was the mother of the present Duke of Braganza. The Duchess wore a small diamond tiara, a simple line of
diamonds with some small diamond flowers.

I wondered, I read somewhere that the Miguelist branch of the family was almost facing bankrupcy until Queen D. Amelia decided to leave her possessions to them, but wasn't Princess Francisca rather rich? On all the articles I read about her sister, the late countess of Paris it was said that the Petropolis branch of the Brazilian IF was very rich and that Isabelle took amall fortune with her in the marriage.

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Nice thread by the way, thanks for starting it. Please note that photos that are in the public domain are are still allowed to be posted here.

Beautiful Portrait! Funny how none of the children (Duarte, Miguel, Henrique)look like their parents. Dom Duarte Pio resembles his father a bit but not much. And Dom Miguel and Henrique don't resemble any at all. They don't even resemble each other, IMO.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marengo
(Post 767224)

I wondered, I read somewhere that the Miguelist branch of the family was almost facing bankrupcy until Queen D. Amelia decided to leave her possessions to them, but wasn't Princess Francisca rather rich? On all the articles I read about her sister, the late countess of Paris it was said that the Petropolis branch of the Brazilian IF was very rich and that Isabelle took amall fortune with her in the marriage.

I have no idea if the Petropolis branch was very rich, but Princess Francisca's dowry was not impressive for sure or she and her husband wouldn't have to live in such finantial conditions.

Salazar was concerned with their situation and asked Dª Amelia to contemplate them in her will. The book "Salazar e a Rainha" (which means Salazar and the Queen) of Fernando A. Monteiro show us a letter of Dª Amelia to Salazar in which she says "About my will, I will do what you are asking me. And I do that only because it's you, Mr. President, who are asking me to do so - I hope you are glad".

I think the only things that D. Duarte inherited from his mother were some jewelry, not money or properties in Brazil.

Elsa M.

05-18-2008 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Regina
(Post 767348)

I think the only things that D. Duarte inherited from his mother were some jewelry, not money or properties in Brazil.

Regina, I believe he already sold them, but D. Duarte did inherit some properties from his mother in Brazil. Nowadays, great part of their sustenance comes from the dowery of some apartments in Lisbon.

Regina, I believe he already sold them, but D. Duarte did inherit some properties from his mother in Brazil. Nowadays, great part of their sustenance comes from the dowery of some apartments in Lisbon.

Princess Maria Francisca's father (Dom Pedro de Alcântara Orleans Bragança) died in 1940. In 1945, 5 years later, D. Amelia told to Salazar "How can the Princes live? Dom Duarte Nuno has nothing and his wife has something of her own, but not much at all." (Book Salazar, Vol. IV by Franco Nogueira, pg 137). So, if D. Duarte Pio inherited something, it was not much.

Remember that Francisca's mother, Elisabeth, countess Dobrzensky de Dobrezenicz (a Czech) came to live in Portugal till her death in 1951. If her mother had properties in Brazil, why would they need the help of Dª Amelia? And why would Duarte Pio wait till 1975 to buy his first house (in Sintra, where he lives now with his wife and children)?.

In this interview, he tells that when he arrived to Portugal, all the family went to live in Gaia, to a friend's house. After that, the Government allowed them to live in a house bought by Fundação de Bragança. After the Revolution of 1974, they moved out. His father went to live to an aunt's house, in Algarve and D. Duarte bought his house in Sintra. Let me just add that his house is an aristrocratic and very big one, but in 1974/75 (during the Verão Quente)many, many palaces and mansions were sold by a very low price. I simply don't believe that in 1975 he bought his house by a large ammount of money.

A picture of Da. Maria Fransisca with some of the Brazilian relatives of the Duchess, among them the count and countess of Paris, Princess Teresa, D. Pedro Gastao and D. Isabel and of MF's brothers. I suppose the children are all children of the count and countess of Paris. I am not sure if the man with the arm on the shoulder of Da. Maria Fransisca is her brother or D. Duarte Nuno, maybe a Portuguese poster can help?

Thank you for all those great photos, namely those of D.Duarte and D.Maria Francisca wedding, most of them I've never seen before.

As for the people in the last photo:
Standing: Pss. "Tété" (D.Teresa), Count and Countess of Paris, Pr. D.João, Pss. D.Maria Francisca and D.Pedro Gastão.
Sitting: D.Pedro and D.Elisabeth with their "Paris" grand-children.

JSP

06-29-2008 04:03 PM

The Bragança's wealth

Quote:

Originally Posted by Regina
(Post 767934)

Princess Maria Francisca's father (Dom Pedro de Alcântara Orleans Bragança) died in 1940. In 1945, 5 years later, D. Amelia told to Salazar "How can the Princes live? Dom Duarte Nuno has nothing and his wife has something of her own, but not much at all." (Book Salazar, Vol. IV by Franco Nogueira, pg 137). So, if D. Duarte Pio inherited something, it was not much.

Remember that Francisca's mother, Elisabeth, countess Dobrzensky de Dobrezenicz (a Czech) came to live in Portugal till her death in 1951. If her mother had properties in Brazil, why would they need the help of Dª Amelia? And why would Duarte Pio wait till 1975 to buy his first house (in Sintra, where he lives now with his wife and children)?.

In this interview, he tells that when he arrived to Portugal, all the family went to live in Gaia, to a friend's house. After that, the Government allowed them to live in a house bought by Fundação de Bragança. After the Revolution of 1974, they moved out. His father went to live to an aunt's house, in Algarve and D. Duarte bought his house in Sintra. Let me just add that his house is an aristrocratic and very big one, but in 1974/75 (during the Verão Quente)many, many palaces and mansions were sold by a very low price. I simply don't believe that in 1975 he bought his house by a large ammount of money.

The Miguelist side of the family was "poor as a Church mouse" :ohmy:.
Remember that when D.Miguel was forced to leave the country :angry:, he left empty hands, with no money or jewels (even those inherited from his Mother) and survived thanks to the generousity of the Pope and the Austrian Emperor.

He even refused the allowance his brother D.Pedro offered him.

Better or worst he survived in central Europe until he got married to Pss. Adelaide of Loewenstein-Wertheim-Rosenborg, who bore him a son and many daughters.

Most surprisingly all the daughter married far better than her cousins daughters of Queen D.Maria II :graduate:.

The Bragança family was sort of protégé by the Emperor and D.Miguel (II) took advantage of the situation.
First he married the wealthy Pss of Thurn un Taxis, Sissi's niece.
When she died, he proposed to Sissi's own daughter but she preferred her Tuscany cousin.

By then the family was very well connected to some of the richest princes such as the Bourbon-Parma, the Liechtensteins and the Thurn und Taxis.

WW1 came to put an end to this situation, reversing the tables of the Braganças, among many others.
Remember that at the time the Heads of Royal Families did not work :shock: !
Either they lived on rent or have joined the army (as D.Miguel and his sons have done).
For worst, when Portugal joined the war in 1916, they were on the wrong side and D.Miguel had to step down from his post.

In the period between the wars, the family was very much helped by the Liechtensteins and the T&Taxis.
They lived in a Liechtenstein castle in the outskirts of Vienna.

On what concerns D.Duarte Nuno and his wedding.
The Petrópolis branch of the Brazilian IF was indeed the rich one.
I will not elaborate on how D.Pedro cheated on his nephew :whistling: and got the "cut of the line" from the family inheritance.

But the wealth was mainly on Land, and in a regime simillar to a trust - enfiteuse - where you can take the profits from the land, but you cannot dispose of the land for sale.
It took years until they could sell parts of the vast lands they had around Petrópolis.
And this caused a rift between D.Duarte Pio and his uncle D.Pedro-Gastão, who, like father, like son :devil:, wanted to cheat on his nephews and sister D.Teresa.

The matter was only solved in the late 1980s/90 when D.Duarte finally could have access to his Mother's inheritance.

As to D.Amélia's inheritance.
The already mentioned book "Salazar e a Rainha" is a wonderful document on the process.
It was not the Queen who decided to appoint D.Duarte Pio (her godson) as her universal heir.
It was Salazar :ermm: that, knowing that the Queen did not like very much her Portuguese relatives, and fearing that she might appoint as heirs her french cousins :shock:, leaving them her estates, with a foxy diplomacy, induced the Queen to appoint D.Duarte as heir.

In a way it was a poisonned present.
Urban rents in Lisbon were frozen since the 1940's so D.Duarte inherited a vast but impoverished asset.
The houses were ancient and needed constant repairs and many rents until the 80's were of mere € 10-20 for huge houses in one of the best neighbourhoods in Lisbon.

I know since an aunt of mine lived in a grand house, just facing the Political Police PIDE building paying a symbolic rent.
There was a major controversy when D.Duarte decided to sell the PIDE building to a constructor in order that a luxury hotel would be built.
Socialists and communists wanted to make there a Museum to the resistance and that the building was expropriated :eek: .

As to D.Duarte's house in Sintra.
D.Duarte has told the story several times.
After the 1974 revolution many people left the country and others simply were not confortable leaving in huge palatial houses, being called "fascists" .
A friend of D.Duarte offered him to buy the house at a very easonable price which he accepted.
Yet again, the house was in a very poor state.
It was an old house, and Sintra is a very damp town - a very unpleasant combination.
When D.Duarte got married, some friends teamed together and, as a wedding gift, they promoted a repair of the house, roofs, central heating, double-glazed windows, etc making of it today a very attractive house fit for a family and children.

Elsa M.

06-30-2008 06:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSP
(Post 792944)

Urban rents in Lisbon were frozen since the 1940's so D.Duarte inherited a vast but impoverished asset.
The houses were ancient and needed constant repairs and many rents until the 80's were of mere € 10-20 for huge houses in one of the best neighbourhoods in Lisbon.

I know since an aunt of mine lived in a grand house, just facing the Political Police PIDE building paying a symbolic rent.
There was a major controversy when D.Duarte decided to sell the PIDE building to a constructor in order that a luxury hotel would be built.
Socialists and communists wanted to make there a Museum to the resistance and that the building was expropriated :eek: .